Government will stand by weavers during crisis period: KTR

Hyderabad: Minister KT Rama Rao on Saturday decided to release the weaver's money accrued under the 'Thrift Scheme' (Nethannaku Cheyutha) well before the lock-in period of three years in wake of the problems faced by the weavers during this crisis. The Minister asked the officials to ensure that money goes into the hands of the weavers as soon as possible. The weavers have saved Rs 31 crore and the government added Rs 62 crore as its share in the scheme. By implementing this decision about 26,500 weavers in the State will benefit financially.

Under the scheme, the weaver would have a lock-in period of three years from the time of joining to redeem his money. But considering the present situation, the minister decided to sanction the money to weavers immediately without waiting for three years. Each weaver now can access an amount anywhere between Rs 50,000 to Rs 1,25,000.

The government will also release another Rs 1.18 crore to the weavers who are enrolled under cooperative societies, which have enrolled and completed an earlier savings scheme. He said that the government has been supporting weavers from the inception of the State. Government not only allocated major share in the budget but has also initiated various programmes and schemes to create a demand for their products.

The minister reviewed the status of the production of Bathukamma sarees. He also reviewed the works of Kakatiya Mega Textile Park and Hyderabad Pharma City.